Immigration Reform, a Personal Persepctive.

I am not going to claim to know much about this subject, let me make this clear.  I am not a politician and I do not desire to write laws, but what I do offer is personal experience from an employer’s perspective in agriculture who has employed a vast variety of different types of employees.  In the US we have a long list of “Dirty Jobs” that most of our citizens believe they are “above”.  Like it or not, but many believe that once we head off to college we are “above” menial tasks like cleaning, construction, food service, and agriculture.  I am so blessed that my parents taught us that we were never “above” any of these jobs or tasks.  My father told me “I don’t care what you do in life, you can be a garbage woman for all I care, I just want you to be happy and do it honestly”.  Wise advice from a wise man.  When operating my own dairy farm I led by example, I never sent an employee into a job that I wasn’t willing to do myself.  In fact, most times I was alongside them, working in the heat, cold and mess.  I’m not complaining, I enjoy hard work and getting dirty, I find it very rewarding and so did many of our employees.  This is where my experience as an employer comes into perspective.

My best employees, the ones that really cared about their jobs were the ones that I took the time to talk to and let them know that their job mattered.  What they thought was a menial task such as cleaning the parlor walls, was so much more important than “just cleaning”.  They were a critical part of producing safe and clean milk for consumers.  I’m not inflating their positions either, they were very important to making our farm successful and producing a food we could all be proud of.  Unfortunately these amazing employees were sometimes immigrants with false documents (which we found out after they left) or children of undocumented workers born in the US.  We followed the law when we hired these employees, collected all the paper work, checked social security numbers, and everything checked out.  We paid taxes and FICA on their behalf, dollars that they will never be able to claim in a tax refund because they used a false social security number.  As employers we followed the law and as employees they were just happy to have a job, especially one where they were valued as a part of our team.  My heart aches for these families as they work hard to provide for their children.  Not all immigrant workers are like this, but my personal experience has been nothing but positive.  They are here, just like my ancestors, trying to make a better life for their children. 

As employers we worked hard to make sure that our employees had time with their families.  We encouraged them to take time off to be at their children’s events at school.  Over time I have seen these families become important contributors to our area communities and schools.  I know of several dairy owners that even provide translators to help non English speaking employees get their kids into school and communicate with the teachers and administration.  As employers I know many dairy farmers that struggle to provide a wage for their employees that is not only competitive but also can sustain a family.  That is an incredibly difficult task!  Milk prices ebb and flow so dramatically, it is hard for farmers to even pay themselves a wage that can sustain their own families, but I know for a fact that most will pay their employees well before they pay themselves.  As farmers we are indebted to the valuable people who work for us.  Believe me, finding good people is an almost impossible task.  I have definitely seen my fair share of poor employees; people who didn’t care no matter how much we paid them or how much we respected them, and unfortunately those were mostly non-Hispanic employees.  Those bad apples definitely tested our faith and trust in others.

Regardless, there was still a certain amount of joy that came from being am employer.  It was very rewarding to know that our business was also helping to support other local families.  When we paid them, they were able to buy homes locally, shop downtown and give back to their other family members.  We were able to share culture with each other: language, food and customs.  It was awesome to spend a little time educating our employees and watching them take that education and grow.  Working for us was an opportunity which some used to better themselves and get higher paying jobs in other local businesses, and we were so happy for them.  As a Catholic, we are called to help the less fortunate, and as an employer I saw that role as an opportunity to help those that just needed a lift.  I don’t know what the legal solution is for immigration reform, but we should do whatever we can to help those that want to stay here and work legally, be able to do that.  This isn’t as simple as “sending them all back” and “building a wall”.  We need these people, they are pursuing the American dream, no different than our ancestors.  “Help the less fortunate” ~ it is the right thing to do.

Blessed are the Persecuted

It's been a crazy couple weeks: county fair, state fair, farming, and work.  During this time I have been tested more than once for what I believe in, in taking the high road, in being the bigger person.  How often in life we are faced with challenging situations that check us for what we believe in, stand for and truly want to be known for?  I have had more than my fair share of successes and failures in my short 32 years, but one thing I learn over and over again is that I am so much more than my successes and failures.  I have recently used this phrase: "My past with not define me but refine me".   When faced with challenging situations I have tried my best to evaluate all benefits and consequences of my choices, but at the end of the day I have to be willing to take responsibility for my choices no matter what may come.  And then, I learn from those benefits and consequences.  It's the learning part that becomes so critical for growth and I am still a work in progress on that. 

Lessons learned this past week include that some people will hate you no matter what you do.  It's the truth.  It doesn't matter how much I can explain myself or defend myself, certain people will only hear what they want to hear and see what they want to see.  I stand where I stand and I am coming to terms that I will upset them for holding true to my integrity and strength.  I have always tried not to outright offend people and be kind, I know I have failed some times, I am willing to admit to those times and take my responsibility in those situations.  In this situation I was in the "right" and just, but it doesn't matter.  The truth for me is that hatred that I feel towards me is real and it hurts.  It hurts when we try so hard to defend what we know to be just, truth, and fair only to be persecuted for it.  I keep playing a quote from Matthew 5:10-12: Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.  Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

I will not back down from my stances in life, in fact I find myself more convicted.  Part of that ever growing integrity includes being empathetic to those who do hate us.  So this week have been trying to pray for those who hate me.  Not that they learn to "like" me again, but that whatever they have going on in their lives can be healed by God's everlasting love.  It's a an incredibly humbling experience to pray for those who hate or taunt you.  Today, try praying for those who hate you, you may be surprised by the love and grace you will feel. 

Buying Local

There’s lots of hype about buying local and while I’ll bet you’re reading this thinking I’m about to start talking about how you can buy dairy and other foods locally, you’re wrong.  I’m actually going to talk about how dairy farms help to keep their local economies running by being part of their communities and how dairies benefit from their local communities.  I bet you didn’t see that coming!

Sunday night I was helping milk at my dad and brother’s dairy.  We were about 2/3 done milking their 120 cows in the middle of a pretty good thunderstorm, when we lost electricity on the entire farm.  Everything stopped, barns went dark, and we couldn’t milk cows.  It only last a few seconds and then the power came back on again.  A lightning strike was extremely close to the dairy farm and knocked the power off.  Shortly after the electricity came back on we were able to keep on milking, well for only a few more minutes when we lost vacuum.  Vacuum is what works to pull the milk away from the cows teats, contrary to the belief that we “suck” the milk out of them, we just use it to move milk through the pipelines.  My brother and I rushed into the milk room where we could smell smoke from an electrical fire and quickly assessed that we have blown the vacuum pump motor.  We quickly decided that we weren’t capable of fixing this and made a call at 9:30pm to the local electrician.  Within 30 minutes Bill was on farm and working on the situation.  Thankfully it was a quick fix, a contactor had blown out from the load of the power surge.  We were only down for about 1 ½ hours, and we were very grateful to be milking again, as were the cows. 

Blown out contactor on vacuum pump

Once we were up and running again, we reflected on how this situation could have been worse.  We could’ve had a fire, we could’ve had a motor that was damaged and more importantly we could’ve been waiting a long time for help.  We are blessed to have a local infrastructure that is very supportive of agriculture.  It’s important not to take those businesses that support agriculture for granted.  Without a local electrician that could help us, we could have been waiting for hours or more importantly our cows could have been waiting for hours.  When you have an udder full of milk and it’s milking time, the struggle is real; poor cows.  When you have an emergency on farm it is crucial to have your key services local.  I know my dad has always valued the importance of working with local vendors for farm supplies, services and materials.  I see now that I am older that we really depend on having those small businesses local and take a lot of pride in impacting our communities.  We feel confident spending our dollars with these companies and keeping our towns thriving.  So, thank you local businesses for your support for all agriculture in your area!  We greatly appreciate all that you do, especially when we are desperately in need.

I'm Fine

“I’m Fine” are the 2 worst, most deceiving words in the English language.  They are used so often to cover up our true feelings of sorrow, grief, sadness, pain, shame, weakness, embarrassment, struggle, anger, frustration, and just plain ol’ fashion vulnerability.  We act like “I’m fine” is a good enough protect us from being seen; to help others feel at ease rather than being honest and real with what is actually hurting us or how we feel.    No wants to admit feelings but so often we need to in order to free ourselves and grow.  Dairy farming is tough, there’s no way around that, and right now it is very tough.  Farm prices for milk are once again at an industry low.  While these prices are nothing compared to the catastrophic year of 2009, these are tough times once again.  Another factor is the ever increasing costs of farming, whether it is land, feed, insurance, labor, or even regulations.  Now ask a dairy farmer how things are going on their dairy and most will reply, “I’m fine”.  Only on certain days when farming has really got them beat down will they be honest about the sacrifices that they have to make. 

Then they will tell you how much it hurts to feel so vulnerable to the markets and have so much of their life out of their control.  How hard it is to know that you might not be able to pay all of your bills this month.  How disappointing it is to have an excellent employee leave your business because you just can’t justify giving them a raise for their hard work, right now.  How much it hurts to look at their families and know that they can’t give them everything that they need or want, and that as a family they will have to be the first to sacrifice so their employees and their families can be paid and fed first before their own.  Disheartened over the next major machinery repair, which means unplanned bills that will have to be paid, because you can’t go on without that vital piece of equipment.  Every cow, heifer, and calf was already a valuable living being, but their wellness is even more critical when prices are low because illness and death are expensive.  Essential equipment upgrades have to be put on the back burner, until prices are better. 

It’s ok to be honest about these feelings and challenges.  I think consumer should hear the struggles of the American family farmer.  A very wise friend pointed out that so often we let egos get in the way of what we’re really trying to feel and say, especially in agriculture.  I think he is right, let the egos go.  Be honest.  When you get asked how things are going on your farm, let be real with each other and consumers.  It’s not all roses and butterflies, in fact some days it gets down right ugly.  If given the chance, though I’m certain all of us would keep on farming regardless, that’s what we’re made of: perseverance, passion and drive.  Lets be honest with each other and consumers, it’s not all pastures and prairies; it's floods, droughts, storms, and most days rainbows.

The Best of Friends: Reunion Weekend

This summer I have had some great adventures, I have gone to some amazing concerts, traveled around the Midwest, and spent time really enjoying the blessings that surround me, gifts from God.  On all of my adventures though, the best ones are the ones that were with friends and family.  A month ago we had a gathering of college friends (hard to believe it's been 10 years since we graduated college!) and this past weekend I was with my roommates from college.  I was blessed to live with 3 amazing women in a cozy 2 bedroom apartment right across from the South Dakota State University campus.  Inspired by one of our mothers, we decided to make a promise to each other to spend a one weekend a year with each other.  This is a commitment that as we get older we are more determined to keep.  Friends are there for you when life gets the hardest, and these are no exception.  These women have been married for 4-11 years and bring their spouses and kids when they visit. 

 

It was funny reflecting on how we had changed in 10 years.  When we were in college we shared meals, prayers, support, friendship, laughter, joys, sorrows and fears.  We are still sharing those things.  One of our first reunion weekends we stayed at a hotel with an indoor water park that was open late at night.  We spent that night laughing, drinking and playing on the water slides and kiddie pool.  I have the scars on my knees to prove it.  Fast forward 10 years, and I'm pulling 6 little kids around a hotel swimming pool on fun noodles.  We have changed, life happened, but I don't think we would change it for the world.  We have a few broken hearts, there have been sorrows and failures but our hearts are fuller, our lives have greater depth, we have greater joys than we could have ever known.  Even though hundreds of miles separate us and we still debate the Motherland versus God's Country, our friendships are stronger than they have ever been.

 

These women live their lives in big and small ways, and they are an inspiration to me.  They are devoted wives, hold jobs and professions, they are mothers, they are role models.  I know they will think that I am over praising them, but that is because they are humble women.  When I need support and prayers, they have my back.  If I need someone to talk to all I need to do is call.  God blessed me with the most amazing friends and if they ever need anything I would be there in a heartbeat.  If you have friends as amazing as this, don't take them for granted, make it a priority to visit them, call them, send a card, anything to share a relationship with amazing people.  We all know these women and aspire to be them...find some and don't ever let them go.